WHAT: Undercover video by the U.S. Humane Society shows dozens of teams of hunting dogs — one after the other — being sent to attack a chained and essentially defenseless black bear in a competitive “training exercise” known as “bear baying” that is legal only in South Carolina.

WHY: The unleashed hounds are supposed to be dragged away as soon as they scare the bear into standing up on its hind legs, making it easier to shoot during the state’s two-week bear hunting season. The dogs are theoretically learning to corner wild bears without being injured.

WHAT’S BEING DONE: The Humane Society wants the South Carolina legislature to specifically ban bear baying. If that attempt fails, it wants the state’s wildlife officials to revoke all captive bear permits, which would effectively make baying illegal.